Chicago Bears draft: Top picks in franchise history

Mike Singletary, LB, 1981 2nd Round (#38 overall)

Singletary is perhaps one of the best second-round draft picks in NFL history. He continued the tradition of great Chicago Bears middle linebackers.

Singletary was the quarterback of one of, if not the, greatest defenses in the history of the NFL. The Bears’ famed “46” defense was both feared and respected. They gave up yards like they were giving up pieces of their bodies.

Singletary was named to a franchise-record ten Pro Bowls. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1985 and 1988. He was All-Pro eight times and was All-NFC every season between 1983 and 1991

Singletary epitomizes the reputation of Chicagoans — blue-collar and intense. While he was soft-spoken off the field, he was fiery on it. He always did everything all-out. It did not matter if it was a practice or a game, he did it with incredible intensity. He has a couple of racks of cracked helmets to show how intense he played.

Singletary’s health was amazing, considering how hard he played. He missed just two games in his entire career, both in 1986. He amassed 1,488 tackles, 885 of them solo. In one game against the Denver Broncos in 1990, he recorded twenty tackles, ten solo, and ten assists.

When people talk about that famous Chicago Bears defense of the 1980’s, the first image they get is of Singletary’s eyes and his barking. When you got hit by him, you usually went down like a ton of bricks.

Singletary was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Next: He ushered in the Bears' linebacker tradition into the 2000's